Blues Record: 0-2-0 (3-2 L @ WNK, 7-2 L vs STN)
A pair of losses pushed the Winnipeg Blues’ losing streak to four games.
On Wednesday, Winnipeg played a tight game with the Winkler Flyers but couldn’t come up with the win. Winkler scored twice in 18 seconds late in the middle period to guide themselves to the win at Centennial Arena. Garett Zasitko on the power play and Eric Fawkes scored for the Blues. The loss allowed Winkler to clinch home ice later in the week.
On Saturday afternoon, the Blues played their final game at the RINK Training Centre in the regular season against the Steinbach Pistons. The Pistons scored five straight goals through the second and third periods to crush the Blues 7-2. The win locked Steinbach in as the top team in the regular season. Mathieu Moreira and Jake Dale scored for the Blues in the loss.
The Blues playoff matchup is officially locked in – they are the third seed in the East Division and will face off with the Winkler Flyers in round one. Both teams won four games against each other in their eight-game regular season set.
Upcoming week:
Winnipeg plays three games this week to finish off the regular season.
On Tuesday, the Blues welcome the Portage Terriers to Winnipeg in a different venue. The game will be played at the Iceplex due to scheduling conflicts. This game was originally supposed to be played last Tuesday, but it had to be postponed due to highway closures.
The Terriers are four points back of the Selkirk Steelers for the final playoff spot with three games left. The Steelers season is done and they have the tiebreaker over Portage – a single loss will end the Terrriers season. Portage will be fighting for their lives on Tuesday and Thursday.
On Thursday, the Blues and Terriers play again at the Iceplex. This game was originally scheduled for March 19.
To finish off the season, Winnipeg travels to Steinbach to face off with the Pistons. The Pistons have won 14 games in a row, including murdering the Winnipeg Freeze 13-0 Sunday afternoon.
The Blues welcome Portage on Tuesday, March 15 at 7:00 p.m and Thursday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m. Both these games will be at the Iceplex. On Friday, March 17, the Blues play their final game of the regular season in Steinbach at 7:30 p.m.
Three Keys for the Week:
1st: Play Playoff Hockey
Winnipeg only has three games to ramp up their intensity for the playoffs. The Blues have played hard all season, but the playoffs are a different beast. It will help that two of the Blues final three games come against Portage, a team fighting to stay alive. By simply matching their energy, Winnipeg will be well prepared for high-octane playoff hockey.
2nd: Build Good Habits
The Blues last three games aren’t a lot to fine-tune the habits that could lead to a championship, but that’s all they have left. A little extra polish could be the difference between being the best and being out early. Winnipeg needs to use these games as the place to make sure everyone is fully prepped for playoff hockey.
3rd: Stay Healthy
Winnipeg already has three guys out of the lineup with injury; they can’t afford to lose anyone else. Everyone needs to be careful with their bodies down the stretch to make sure they can play in game one. Training right off the ice and being as rested as possible are key to being ready to go on March 25.